Pro-Vidarbha activists to intensify stir from August

Nagpur, May 23: Pro-Vidarbha leaders today decided to take on the ruling BJP for "not keeping its promise" of carving out a separate state and step up their agitation to press for the demand.

The pro-Vidarbha supporters would stage a demonstration in front of BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's residence in the city on August 9, Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) chief and former MLA Wamanrao Chatap said in a meeting here.

"Before the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in 2014, BJP had promised that if the party comes to power it would grant statehood to Vidarbha. Now they are in power both at the Centre and the state. Why are they not fulfilling their promise?" he asked.

"Besides Gadkari, even Fadnavis, before becoming the Chief Minister, had promised a separate Vidarbha and given an undertaking through letters that they would support the movement," Chatap claimed.

He alleged that going by the leaders' promises, BJP recorded a resounding victory in Maharashtra and saw the first-ever BJP-led government in the state. However, they are doing nothing in that direction. "As creation of a new state is the prerogative of the Centre, VRAS will target Gadkari, who had personally promised to take up the statehood issue," Chatap said.

PTI